ATLANTA
Filker Tom Smith dealt with a bit of short-term frustration when he arrived Aug. 29 at the Sheraton Hotel to register for Dragon Con 2013, but that was soon resolved in another example of the family spirit that has attracted so many people to the event.
Smith, who is dependent on a scooter to get around, found himself at the bottom of a hill, down the steep slope from where the other Dragon Con hotels were and where he was booked to stay. He had arrived early to deal with his mobility issues, but the scooter he expected to find wasn’t there.
Volunteers assured Smith that his scooter would get there, but he worried that he’d have to come back down the hill to the Sheraton via another cab ride to get it. The Dragon Con volunteer said that wouldn’t be the case, that the scooter would be delivered to his room.
Three days later at Dragon Con, Smith gave the third of his five concerts there, a blend of whimsical and sometimes hard-hitting satirical, self-penned songs. His simple accompaniment was his guitar, although on some of his CDs there’s more elaborate instrumentation and even sound effects. For those unfamiliar with it, filk music is actually a form of folk music frequently with a satirical science fiction and fantasy flavor.

At his late Saturday night concert, Smith acknowledged what Dragon Con and similar events mean to him and many others. A Michigan resident, Smith has been a popular fixture at events nationally and internationally including Indianapolis-area gatherings such as Starbase Indy and InConJunction. This year, however, health issues prevented him from appearing at InConJunction.

Filker Tom Smith performing at Dragon Con.

“I love you guys,” Smith said before performing his last song Saturday night. “I mean, you are family.
“Seriously, fandom is our family. We have our blood family, but we have a chosen extended family and that’s always going to be you guys. You are a great percentage of what we love; our loves, likes and dislikes overlap and most important of all we all get each others’ jokes.
“I have an amazing, wonderful, far-too-good for me girlfriend who has said on occasion that it’s a good thing I’ve learned all the punch lines because it’s not worth the trouble of trying to teach someone else.”
Dan Carroll, director of media relations for Dragon Con, agreed with Smith’s assessment about the family-like relationships that develop over the years. Dragon Con, he said, is the one time per year he gets to see friends from Los Angeles and other corners of the United States.
Carroll said 57,000 people purchased memberships for Dragon Con this year, up from 54,000 last year. One estimate reported 3,200 marched in its magnificent parade of costumed fans, some accompanied by stars this year such as Billy Dee Williams and Ernie Hudson.
Those people aren’t just geeks or nerds living in their parents’ basements. They come from a wide variety of occupations, including scientists, doctors, elected officials, journalists, nurses, teachers, business owners and administrators.
Earth might be a small world, but the fandom of science fiction, fantasy, horror and comics is a huge one.
Dragon Con offered a variety of interesting panels and guests this year. In the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing some of those conversations and interviews.

A costumer dressed as Spiderman greets a young fan along the Dragon Con Parade route.

Ronald Hawkins may be contacted at rhawkins@schurz.com or rondhawkins@msn.com. Most Indiana Science Fiction Sojourns blogs also are available in print editions of the Reporter-Times and as an Online column at www.reporter-times.com